Method and apparatus to provide temporary peak power from a switching regulator

ABSTRACT

Various techniques directed to providing temporary peak power from a switching regulator are disclosed. In one aspect, a switching regulator includes a switch that is to be coupled between a power supply input and an energy transfer element of the power supply. A controller is coupled to be responsive to a feedback signal to be received from an output of the power supply. The controller is coupled to switch the switch in response to the feedback signal to regulate the output of the power supply. An oscillator is coupled to provide an oscillating signal to the controller to determine a maximum switching frequency of the switch. The oscillating signal is coupled to oscillate at a first frequency under a first moderate load condition at the power supply output. The oscillating signal is coupled to oscillate at a second frequency under a second peak load condition at the power supply output.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to electronic circuits, and more specifically, the invention relates to switched mode power supplies.

2. Background Information

Many types of electronic equipment use varying amounts of power in normal operation. The range of power demanded from a power supply can be extreme, extending for example from a few milliwatts to nearly 100 watts. Large ranges of loading are common in equipment such as printers, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, and other products that require rapid activation of mechanical motion. Typically, a moderate continuous output power is required for a long duration, for example when a DVD disk is spinning continuously or the print head in a printer is moving across a page. However, a maximum or peak output power is usually required for a relatively short duration and infrequently, for example to reverse the direction of a moving printer head or to spin a disk from startup to its rated speed. Equipment to amplify signals that have a large dynamic range, such as music, for example, can demand power that covers a range of several orders of magnitude.

Designers of power supplies for these applications are challenged to provide a wide range of power while conforming to conflicting requirements of efficiency, size, and cost. Power supplies that can deliver the maximum or peak required power often require the use of components that are over rated for the continuous moderate power level. Efforts to meet the requirements for continuous moderate power and short duration peak power from the same power supply usually lead to designs that are larger, heavier, and more costly than necessary if the load range were limited.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention detailed illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying Figures.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a power supply that may include a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph of a typical power demand for a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows waveforms of the current in the switch of a switching regulator for two switching frequencies in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph of the maximum theoretical output power for a switching regulator as a function of switching frequency in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows graphs of power demand and corresponding switching frequency for one embodiment of a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows graphs of power demand and an alternative corresponding switching frequency for one embodiment of a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows functional elements of one embodiment of a controller for a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a controller for a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of a power supply regulator that may be utilized in a power supply are disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art that the specific detail need not be employed to practice the present invention. Well-known methods related to the implementation have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a power supply that may include an embodiment of a power supply regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The topology of the power supply illustrated in FIG. 1 is known as a flyback regulator. It is appreciated that there are many topologies and configurations of switching regulators, and that the flyback topology shown in FIG. 1 is provided to illustrate the principles of an embodiment of the present invention that may apply also to other types of topologies in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The power supply in FIG. 1 provides output power to a load 165 from an unregulated input voltage V_(IN) 105. The input voltage V_(IN) 105 is coupled to an energy transfer element T1 125 and a switch S1 120. In the example of FIG. 1, the energy transfer element T1 125 is coupled between an input of the power supply and an output of the power supply. In the example of FIG. 1, the energy transfer element T1 125 is illustrated as a transformer with two windings. A clamp circuit 110 is coupled to the primary winding of the energy transfer element T1 125 to control the maximum voltage on the switch S1 120. Switch S1 120 is switched on and off in response to one embodiment of a controller circuit 145 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In one embodiment, switch S1 120 is a transistor such as for example a power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). In one embodiment, controller 145 includes integrated circuits and discrete electrical components. The operation of switch S1 120 produces pulsating current in the rectifier D1 130 that is filtered by capacitor C1 135 to produce a substantially constant output voltage V_(O) or output current I_(O) at the load 165.

The output quantity to be regulated is U_(O) 150, that in general could be an output voltage V_(O), an output current I_(O), or a combination of the two. A feedback circuit 160 is coupled to the output quantity U_(O) 150 to produce a feedback signal U_(FB) 155 that is an input to the controller 145. Another input to the controller 145 is the current sense signal 140 that senses a current I_(D) 115 in switch S1 120. Any of the many known ways to measure a switched current, such as for example a current transformer, or for example the voltage across a discrete resistor, or for example the voltage across a transistor when the transistor is conducting, may be used to measure current I_(D) 115.

In one embodiment, the controller 145 operates switch S1 120 to substantially regulate the output U_(O) 150 to its desired value. In one embodiment, controller 145 includes an oscillator that defines substantially regular switching periods. In one embodiment, regulation is accomplished by control of the conduction time of the switch within a switching period. In each switching period, the fraction of the switching period that the switch is closed is the duty ratio of the switch. As will be discussed, one embodiment of the oscillator included in controller 145 is configured to switch temporarily at a higher frequency to accommodate temporary peak load conditions in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

The instantaneous output power P_(O) is the output voltage V_(O) multiplied by the output current I_(O). The load draws an output power P_(O) that may change abruptly with time. FIG. 2 shows a graph of the output power demand of a typical load that may be accommodated by a power supply regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. A distinguishing characteristic of the power requirement of FIG. 2 is that the power is below a moderate level P_(M) most of the time, going above P_(M) only occasionally, and rising to a much higher peak level P_(PEAK) infrequently for short durations. In this description, moderate power level P_(M) describes a level of output power that typically determines the thermal design of the power supply. Embodiments of a power supply in accordance with the teachings of the present invention are therefore designed to provide this moderate output power continuously, the various power supply components not exceeding their thermal ratings. In this description, therefore, this moderate power level is much higher than very low output power operating conditions, such as no-load and standby, which are also often required operating conditions in power supply applications. For purposes of this disclosure, no-load is a condition where the output load of the power supply is removed altogether. For purposes of this disclosure, standby is a condition where the power supply output load is demanding a very low power, for example in a DVD application where the DVD player is waiting for a wake up signal from a remote controller. These no-load and standby conditions are typically substantially lower than the moderate power level, P_(M), as discussed here. As an example, in a DVD player, the peak output power requirement could be 20 watts, the continuous moderate output power requirement could be 10 watts and a standby output power could be less than 0.5 watts. No-load and standby conditions may require other long duration or continuous power supply operating modes, such as burst-modes and very low switching frequency, that are implemented when the output power demand falls below a no-load or standby power threshold, as will be known to one skilled in the art. The duration of the peak power, P_(PEAK), demand is usually much less than one second, and well below the thermal time constants of the electrical components in the switching regulator. Therefore, in many applications, the ability of the switching regulator to deliver the peak power is not restricted by the thermal limitations of the components. The regulator's peak power is limited by the maximum current of the components and by the switching frequency.

Owing to the limitations of one or more components in the circuit, the switches in all regulator designs have a maximum current limit I_(MAX) that they cannot exceed. Although all switches are inherently current limited, controllers in switching regulators usually prevent the switches from exceeding the maximum current limit for the design.

FIG. 3 shows waveforms of the current I_(D) in the switch of a switching regulator at two switching frequencies that correspond to the switching periods T1 and T2. Each current has the same maximum value I_(MAX). The regulator operates at the same input voltage and output voltage for each frequency. Measurements of the waveforms show that operation of the regulator at the higher frequency provides about 60% more output power than operation at the lower frequency in the example illustrated in FIG. 3.

The waveforms in FIG. 3 also illustrate two fundamental modes of operation, indicated by the different shapes of the current. The triangular shape in FIG. 3A is characteristic of discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), whereas the trapezoidal shape in FIG. 3B is characteristic of continuous conduction mode (CCM).

For a given maximum switch current I_(MAX), the maximum output power for a switching regulator is described by two simple functions of the switching frequency:

$\begin{matrix} {{P = {{\left( \frac{P_{{MAX}\;{DCM}}}{f_{S\;{MAX}\;{DCM}}} \right)f_{S}\mspace{31mu} 0} \leq f_{S} \leq f_{S\;{MAX}\;{DCM}}}}{and}} & \left( {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right) \\ {P = {{{P_{{MAX}\;{DCM}}\left( {2 - \frac{f_{S\;{MAX}\;{DCM}}}{f_{S}}} \right)}\mspace{31mu} f_{S}} \geq f_{S\;{MAX}\;{DCM}}}} & \left( {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 2} \right) \end{matrix}$ where f_(S) is the switching frequency, P_(MAXDCM) is the maximum power in discontinuous conduction mode, and f_(SMAXDCM) is the maximum switching frequency in discontinuous conduction mode that allows the current in the switch to reach I_(MAX). The values of P_(MAXDCM) and f_(SMAXDCM) are determined by the values of the components in the circuit, as will be understood by one skilled in the art. As such, they are constants in the expressions.

FIG. 4 graphs the relationship between the theoretical maximum output power and the switching frequency of a switching regulator that has a current limited switch. The relationship is linear as described by Equation 1 in the region 410 between zero frequency and f_(SMAXDCM), the maximum frequency in discontinuous conduction mode. In the linear region 410, the output power is directly proportional to the switching frequency f_(S). The maximum power in discontinuous conduction mode is P_(MAXDCM) at switching frequency f_(SMAXDCM).

In the region 420, at frequencies greater than f_(SMAXDCM), the regulator operates in continuous conduction mode. In continuous conduction mode, the power is hyperbolic as described by Equation 2, approaching a maximum of twice P_(MAXDCM). FIG. 4 shows that higher switching frequency gives higher output power. Unfortunately, higher switching frequency also gives higher losses since each switching cycle consumes power. Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, a switching regulator operates at the lowest switching frequency necessary to deliver the required output power up to a maximum frequency, where the maximum frequency is varied depending on the output power demand, while meeting the constraints for size and cost.

In one embodiment, a switching regulator has a first maximum switching frequency when the output power is less than a moderate power P_(M), and has a substantially higher second maximum frequency when the output power is higher than P_(M). FIG. 5 illustrates the relationship between output power and switching frequency in one embodiment of the invention. When the output power requirement of FIG. 5A goes above the moderate level P_(M), the switching frequency of FIG. 5B shifts from a low value f_(S1), to a higher value f_(S2).

The shift in frequency can be one discrete step as illustrated in FIG. 5B, or it can include multiple discrete steps that correspond to intermediate peak power levels, or it can change continuously to meet the power demand as illustrated in FIG. 6B to meet the requirements of special loads. A step shift between two frequencies is usually adequate to satisfy typical specifications. In one embodiment, the change in switching frequency adjusts only the maximum power capability of the regulator and regulation of the output is accomplished by adjustment of a different variable, such as the conduction time of the switch. In another embodiment the frequency shift can be varied up to a maximum value of f_(S2) to regulate the output when the output power requirement goes above the moderate level P_(M), while the frequency is fixed at a value of f_(S1) for load conditions between the moderate level P_(M) and the substantially lower power of either no-load or standby. When the output power requirement is between the moderate level P_(M) and the substantially lower power of no-load or standby regulation of the output may be accomplished by adjustment of a variable other than switching frequency, such as the conduction time of the switch. In one embodiment, independent of the regulation technique used when the output power requirement goes above the moderate level P_(M), the frequency may be varied to a value below f_(S1) when the output power requirement drops below a lower threshold value that indicates operation either in no-load or standby condition. Other known techniques such as burst operation may be employed to reduce power supply power consumption at no-load or standby. When the output power requirement is above the lower threshold indicating either a no-load or standby condition, regulation techniques can include PWM current mode or voltage mode, on/off control or quasi resonant control as will be known to one skilled in the art.

The shift to the higher maximum frequency for infrequent and short durations provides the required peak output power capability without the penalty of increased switching losses at moderate output power, and without the need to use larger components that are capable of higher currents. Components and a switching frequency can therefore be optimized to meet all requirements when the switching regulator provides the moderate power P_(M). Then, the relationship in FIG. 4, described by Equation 1 and Equation 2, can be used to determine the increase in frequency required to provide the peak power P_(PEAK) from the design that is optimized for the lower output power.

FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a controller for a switching regulator in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Controller 700 includes a pulse width modulator 720 that receives a current limit signal 730, a clock signal 735, and feedback signal 740. The controller operates switch S1 715 of the switching regulator to regulate an output U_(O) 760 to its desired value. In one embodiment, the controller operates switch S1 715 with a maximum switching frequency that is substantially independent of the input of the power supply. In one embodiment, controller 700 includes integrated circuits. In one embodiment, controller 700 is included in an integrated circuit. In one embodiment, controller 700 and switch S1 715 are integrated on a monolithic integrated circuit.

Current limit comparator 725 receives a current sense signal 705 that is proportional to the current in switch S1 715. When the current sense signal 705 exceeds a reference I_(MAX) 710 that corresponds to a maximum permissible current in switch S1 715, current limit signal 730 goes from a logic low level to a logic high level. A logic high level of the current limit signal 730 forces pulse width modulator 720 to open switch S1. Pulse width modulator 720 can also open switch S1 715 to regulate the output U_(O) even when the current limit signal 730 is low.

Clock signal 735 from oscillator 745 establishes the switching frequency and the switching periods. The oscillator 745 changes the frequency of the clock signal 735 in response to the signal at a frequency shift input 750. The frequency shift input 750 receives a load demand signal 755 that corresponds to the power requirement of the load. Power that exceeds a moderate level increases the switching frequency. In various embodiments, the load demand signal 755 may sense the load directly, or it may be an external system command that anticipates an increase in load. In one embodiment the load demand signal 755 may be generated by sensing the loss of feedback signal 740 or a magnitude of the feedback signal 740 for a predetermined period, depending on the particular embodiment, which would also indicate that the moderate power P_(M) load capabilities of the switching regulator have been exceeded. In that case, the load demand signal 755 may be combined with the feedback signal 740 to sense when the power demand has exceeded the moderate power P_(M) load capabilities of the switching regulator.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a controller 800 that does not receive an external load demand signal. Instead, the controller 800 senses the current in the switch S1 815 to determine the load demand. Controller 800 in FIG. 8 includes pulse width modulator 820 that receives a current limit signal 830, a clock signal 835, and a feedback signal 840. The controller operates switch S1 815 of the switching regulator to regulate an output U_(O) 880 to its desired value.

Current limit comparator 825 receives a current sense signal 805 that is proportional to the current in switch S1 815. When the current sense signal 805 exceeds a reference I_(MAX) 810 that corresponds to a maximum permissible current in switch S1 815, current limit signal 830 goes from a logic low level to a logic high level, forcing pulse width modulator 820 to open switch S1. Pulse width modulator 820 can open switch S1 815 to regulate the output even when the current limit signal 830 is low.

Clock signal 835 from oscillator 845 establishes the switching frequency. The oscillator 845 changes the frequency of the clock signal 835 in response to the signal at a frequency shift input 850. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the frequency shifts between two values. The switching frequency is at its lower value when the frequency shift signal at frequency shift input 850 is at a logic low level. The switching frequency is at its upper value when the frequency shift signal is at a logic high level.

A peak load detect circuit 855 receives the current limit signal 830 and the clock signal 835 to determine if the load requires more than a moderate level of power. One can select among many different techniques to distinguish peak load from moderate load, depending on the particular regulator topology, control method, and nature of the load in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. For example, the peak load detect circuit 855 can count the number of switching periods that are current limited, or for example, the peak load detect circuit 855 can respond to a particular sequence of switching periods that are current limited and not current limited.

When the peak load detect circuit 855 determines that there is a peak load event, the peak mode signal 860 changes from a logic low level to logic high level. An optional time limit circuit 865 can be used with AND gate 875 to restrict or limit the duration of time of the peak power output. A time limit circuit may be employed to reduce the possibility of damage to the regulator from a fault that demands a high load for an excessive time. The time limit circuit 865 sets its output 870 to a logic high level when the peak mode signal 860 goes to a logic high level. The output 870 of the time limit circuit 865 goes to a logic low level after the maximum permitted duration of a peak load event, returning the switching frequency to its lower value. In other embodiments, other circuits may be employed to perform the function of the time limit circuit 865 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

In the foregoing detailed description, the methods and apparatuses of the present invention have been described with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention. The present specification and figures are accordingly to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. 

1. A switching regulator circuit, comprising: a switch coupled between an input of the power supply and an energy transfer element of the power supply, the energy transfer element to be coupled between the input and an output of the power supply; and a controller circuit coupled to a control terminal of the switch, the controller circuit coupled to receive a feedback signal representative of an output level of the power supply, the controller circuit to switch the switch on and off at a switching frequency to regulate the output level of the power supply, the controller having a maximum switching frequency that is independent of the input of the power supply, the maximum switching frequency to be limited to a first switching frequency when the load does not exceed a moderate power level threshold value, the maximum switching frequency to be limited to a second switching frequency that is higher than the first switching frequency when the load is greater than the moderate power level threshold value.
 2. The switching regulator circuit of claim 1 wherein the controller circuit is included in an integrated circuit.
 3. The switching regulator circuit of claim 1 wherein the controller circuit and the switch are integrated on a monolithic integrated circuit.
 4. The switching regulator circuit of claim 1 wherein the load at the power supply output is greater than the moderate power level threshold value for only substantially short time durations such that a temperature of the switching regulator does not substantially increase while the load at the power supply output is greater than the moderate power level threshold value.
 5. The switching regulator circuit of claim 4 wherein the load at the power supply output is greater than the moderate power level threshold value at intervals that do not substantially increase the temperature of the switching regulator.
 6. The switching regulator of claim 4 wherein the controller circuit includes a time limit circuit coupled to limit a duration of time that the switch may be switched at the second switching frequency.
 7. The switching regulator circuit of claim 1 wherein the controller circuit comprises a pulse width modulator coupled to the switch to regulate the output level of the power supply.
 8. The switching regulator circuit of claim 1 wherein the controller disables the power switch during selected switching periods to regulate the output level of the power supply.
 9. The switching regulator of claim 1 wherein the maximum switching frequency of the switch is adjusted in response to an external load demand signal coupled to be received by the controller circuit.
 10. The switching regulator circuit of claim 1 wherein the controller circuit further includes a peak load detect circuit coupled to sense a current in the switch to adjust the maximum switching frequency of the switch.
 11. A switching regulator circuit, comprising: a switch between an input of the power supply and an energy transfer element of the power supply, the energy transfer element to be coupled between the input and an output of the power supply; and a controller circuit coupled to a control terminal of the switch, the controller circuit coupled to receive a feedback signal representative of an output level of the power supply, the controller circuit to switch the switch on and off to regulate the output level of the power supply as an output power varies, the controller circuit to have a first maximum switching frequency when the output power is below a moderate power threshold value, the controller circuit to have a second maximum switching frequency when the output power is above the moderate power threshold value.
 12. The switching regulator circuit of claim 11 wherein a switching frequency of the switch is substantially constant when the output power is below the moderate power threshold value and above either a standby or no-load power threshold.
 13. The switching regulator of claim 12 wherein the switching frequency is varied up to the second maximum switching frequency to regulate the output level when the output power is above the moderate power threshold level.
 14. The switching regulator circuit of claim 12 wherein the substantially constant switching frequency is substantially equal to the first maximum switching frequency.
 15. The switching regulator circuit of claim 11 wherein the controller circuit comprises a time limit circuit coupled to limit a period of time for which the controller has the second maximum switching frequency.
 16. The switching regulator circuit of claim 11 wherein the controller disables the power switch during selected switching periods to regulate the output level of the power supply.
 17. A switching regulator, comprising: a switch to be coupled between a power supply input and an energy transfer element of the power supply; a pulse width modulator coupled to be responsive to a feedback signal to be received from an output of the power supply, the pulse width modulator to switch the switch in response to the feedback signal to regulate the output of the power supply; an oscillator coupled to provide an oscillating signal to the pulse width modulator to determine a maximum switching frequency of the switch, the oscillating signal coupled to oscillate at a first frequency under a first moderate load condition at the power supply output, the oscillating signal coupled to oscillate at a second frequency under a second peak load condition at the power supply output.
 18. The switching regulator of claim 17 wherein the first load condition occurs when a power supply output load is less than a first moderate load threshold value, the second load condition occurs when the power supply output load is greater than a second load threshold value.
 19. The switching regulator of claim 17 further comprising a current limit circuit coupled to the switch and the pulse width modulator, the current limit circuit coupled to limit a current though the switch.
 20. The switching regulator of claim 19 further comprising a peak load detect circuit coupled to the current limit circuit, the peak load detect circuit coupled to detect a peak load condition in response to the current limit circuit.
 21. The switching regulator of claim 17 wherein the oscillator is coupled to receive a frequency shift signal to indicate whether to oscillate at the first frequency or the second frequency.
 22. The switching regulator of claim 21 wherein the frequency shift signal is responsive to an external load demand signal coupled to be received by the switching regulator.
 23. The switching regulator of claim 17 further comprising a time limit circuit coupled to the oscillator to limit a duration of time that the oscillating signal may oscillate at the second frequency.
 24. The switching regulator of claim 17 wherein the second load condition occurs substantially less frequently than the first load condition.
 25. The switching regulator of claim 17 wherein the second frequency is greater than the first frequency.
 26. A method for regulating a power supply output, comprising: receiving a feedback signal representative of an output level of a power supply output; switching a switch on and off at a switching frequency in response to the feedback signal to regulate the flow of energy from an input of the power supply to the power supply output; detecting when a load is greater than a power level threshold value at the power supply output; and temporarily increasing a maximum switching frequency of the switching frequency of the switch when the load is greater than the power level threshold value.
 27. The method of claim 26 wherein switching the switch in response to the feedback signal to regulate the flow of energy from the power supply input to the power supply output comprises pulse width modulating a control signal driving the switch.
 28. The method of claim 26 further comprising detecting a current through the switch.
 29. The method of claim 28 further comprising limiting the current through the switch to an amount below a current limit threshold.
 30. The method of claim 28 further comprising detecting when the load is greater than the power level threshold value in response to the detected current through the switch.
 31. The method of claim 26 further comprising identifying when the load is greater than the power level threshold value in response to an external load demand signal.
 32. The method of claim 26 wherein temporarily increasing the maximum switching frequency of the switch when the load is greater than the power level threshold value includes limiting a time duration that the switch may be switched at up to the increased maximum switching frequency. 